Chapter 1

THEORIES
Agenda

 Defining management and tracing the roots of today’s

management thought and practice
 Identifying the functions and roles of the broadcast station
general manager and the skills necessary to carry them out
 Discussing the major influences on the general manager’s
decisions and actions
 Market overview
Definition

 “A process of achieving an organizational goals through

others”
 “A process of acquiring and combining human, financial,
informational, and physical resources to attain the
organization’s primary goal of producing a product or
service…”
 “A process of planning, organizing, influencing, and
controlling to accomplish organizational goals through the
coordinated use of human and material resources”
Evolution of management

 Classical school (1880s-1920s)

 Behavioral school (1930s-1940s)
 Modern management thought (1960s-1990s)
 21st century thought
The Classical School
3 separate approaches
1. Scientific management
 Frederick W. Taylor
 Use scientific and systematic methods to increase productivity
 By (1) finding the most effective and efficient way of performing it; (2) selecting employees best
suited to do a particular job; (3) appropriating employee education, training, and development;
and so on
 Economic incentives – higher wages -> higher productivity
 Criticism: people viewed as machines
 Contribution: emphasized employee selection and training
2. Administrative management
 Henri Fayol
 View the total organization with a view to making it more effective and efficient
 Established a list of 14 principles of management
 Recognized that management principles must be flexible enough to accommodate changes
 Emphasized the functions of management, such as planning, organizing, commanding,
coordinating, and controlling
 Contribution: the first to recognize management as a process and to identify the functions
of management which are still incorporated in many business organization charts
3. Bureaucratic Management
 Max Weber
 A certain organizational structure is effective in achieving an
organizational goal
 Clear division of labor, Clearly defined hierarchy of authority (bureaucracy), Promotion
based on seniority or achievement, Strict discipline and control, Clear policies and
procedures
 Contribution: Emphasized clear delineation of job responsibilities and
close supervision and development of specific guidelines for promotion
and advancement
The Behavioral School

 Criticized the classical school and rejected the view of “economic

man” and the assumption that humans are mechanical and
interchangeable parts in the organization
 Viewed that managers and employees are members of the same
group and thus share in the accomplishment of organizational
objectives
 Microperspective – focusing on individuals rather than
organization
 Hawthorne study
 Elton Mayo
 Western Electric’s Hawthorne plant in IL
 Different lightings but same productivity
 Conclusion: The human aspects of work affected the productivity more
than the physical conditions
 Attention to employees and interaction with supervisors led to the greater productivity
 Hawthorne effect: describes the impact of management attention on
employee productivity
 Contribution: Workers have social as well as physical and monetary needs
 Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation
 5 different needs
 As one level of needs is met, other levels of needs become important to the individuals
 Physiological – essentials of physical survival, such as food, water, shelter, and clothing
 Safety – free of danger and living in a predictable environment
 Love – feeling being accepted by others
 Esteem – feeling good about oneself and recognition from others
 Self-fulfillment – desire to become what one is capable of being
 Contribution: Each individual is motivated by different needs; Managers require different
techniques to motivate people
 Criticism: little empirical data, vary by individuals (some may have dominant needs at a
particular level and never move through the entire hierarchy)
 Frederick Herzberg
 2 different sets of factors
 Hygiene factors (surrounding environment)
 Working and physical conditions, company policies and procedures, wages, benefits
 Motivators (job content)
 Recognition, achievement, responsibility, individual growth and development
 Contribution: Managers must recognize a dual typology of employee needs – both
hygiene and motivators – to maintain job satisfaction
 Douglas McGregor – Theory X and Y
 Theory X
 Managers who saw their employees as having a dislike of work, lacking ambition, and
requiring direction were likely to rely on coercion, control, and even threats as
motivational tools
 Theory Y
 Managers who saw their employees as capable of seeking and accepting
responsibilities, and of exercising self-direction in furtherance of organizational goals
were likely to create conditions where employees can direct their efforts toward the
success of the organization
 Contribution: emphasized the importance of human nature and their effects on
motivational methods used by managers
Modern Management Thought

 Too many different theories have been proposed and

researchers wanted to clear them by adoption approaches
integrating them
 Systems theory
 Contingency theory
 Total quality management
 Strategic management
 Systems theory
 Macro perspective:
 Entire organization is examined and the study includes the environment in which the organization
operates
 An organizational system is composed of
 Inputs (labor, equipment, capital, etc.)
 Process (the conversion of inputs into product)
 Outputs (goods, service, etc.)
 Feedback (information about the outputs)
 Environment (trends, events, other organizations: factors outside the organization and beyond
organizational control)
 Contribution: Companies form part of a larger system that also includes political,
economic, technological ,and social subsystems
 Contingency theory
 Management is much more complex than earlier theorists imagined
 Different situations require different kinds of theory
 Total quality management (TQM)
 Introduced in Japan after WWII
 Edwards Deming
 Emphasize quality in organizations in regard to producing products
and serving customers
 Uniform product quality can be ensured through statistical analysis
and control of variables in the production process
 Implications for broadcasting: actual production of media content
and advertising
 Strategic management
 Michael Porter
 Strategic planning help gains a competitive advantage
 SWOT analysis
 Strength
 Weakness
 Opportunities
 Threats
21st thought

 Learning org
 Peter Senge
 Emphasize systematic problem solving
 Not only managers but also employees are expected to engage in problem solving processes
 Requires free flow of information throughout the organization
 Challenges for the 21st c is the sweeping social, political and economic
changes
 Peter Drucker
 Needs to establish an environment conducive to continuous learning and adaptation
Summary

 Classical school
 Productivity of organizations and employees
 Understanding of management functions, skills, and roles
 Behavioral school
 Importance of satisfied employees’ needs to successful operation
 Modern management thought
 Precludes the adoption of a universal or unified theory
 Integrates various perspectives
 21st century thought
 Participation in problem solving process by all employees
 In the end, great managers are those who are particularly
adept at selecting the right talent, defining clear expectations,
focusing on each individual’s strengths, and helping them find
the right fit in the organization (Buckingham & Coffman,
1999)
 Management is a constant, ongoing process subject to
refinement and change.